Take Those Picture Books Off the Shelf

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo!  I can still recite the name of the favored son in the Chinese folktale, Tikki Tikki Tembo, that was introduced to me over 40 years ago. Maybe it was the fun cadence or the silly rhyming of the words that made such a lasting impression. Whatever made it stick, just thinking about it today takes me right back to the plaid loveseat where my mom read that book to my sisters and me. 

As yet another standards evolution is at the forefront of educational reform, and teachers are striving to increase rigor and present lessons with relevance to real world problems, I fear that those lasting memories created by picture books may be replaced by more “substantive” learning experiences.  With testing, accountability, and the push to cover more content in less time so that our students are prepared for college and careers, I worry that picture books may get put on the shelf.  Consider, for example, one of the primary conceptual shifts in the Next Generation Science Standards:  “Science education should reflect the interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world.”  Can we address this shift and keep picture books in our science instruction?  Great teachers know that we have to hook the kids first, and one of the best ways to do that is with a picture book.  

Every once in awhile, I stumble across a picture book that reminds me how important it is to integrate those fun, humorous, and sometimes silly stories into sound content and classroom activities.  Too Much Glue is one of those books.  Written by teacher and children’s librarian, Jason Lefebvre, Too Much Glue was conceived when a movement activity in his preschool classroom went awry.  

“I set up an art project with glue in cups on the art tables, but decided to play a movement game with the students first.  I called out an animal and the kids moved around the room like that animal until I said the word sleepy.  Then the kids would fall to the floor and pretend to sleep until I called out the next animal.  In all of the excitement, one of the cups of glue overturned and glue was dripping off of one of the tables and on to one of my little ‘sleeping animals.’  Later, during circle time, I noticed one child with a giant splotch of glue on his shirt.  As I was getting him a new shirt I started to think of what would have happened if I had never noticed and the idea was born.”

Jason also shared that the main character, Matty, is a combination of every precocious, energetic, quirky student. “He’s the kid who drives you nuts, but you love him just the same.”

Too Much Glue is the perfect springboard for a hands-on, inquiry-based unit about the science of polymers and adhesives in the world around them.  Elmer’s has created a free instructional unit to help teachers engage students in understanding the polymers that create the fundamental building blocks of adhesives essential to so many products that we use every day.  This 22-page guide provides cross-curricular lessons in English/language arts, writing, science, history, and art for students in grades K-5. 

 In addition, we’ve created The World of Glue Teaching Toolkit including the instructional guide, Elmer’s School Glue, Elmer’s School Glue Naturals®, Elmer’s Classic Glitter Glue, an official Elmer’s 1^st Day t-shirt, and a signed copy of Too Much Glue that we want to share with 50 members of the Elmer’s Teachers Club.  Tell us what you think about The World of Glue Teaching Toolkit in the comments below for a chance to win one for your classroom.

The World of Glue Teaching Toolkit was created by Elmer’s Products, Inc. in cooperation with The Adhesive & Sealant Council and DPNA International, Inc.

 

Too Much Glue by Jason Lefebvre (Flashlight Press Books) has been recognized by the 2013 ABC Best Books for Children. 

- See more at: http://www.elmers.com/teachers-blog/post/2013/11/18/Take-Those-Picture-Books-Off-the-Shelf.aspx#sthash.exuVecie.dpuf

Third Grade Reading Proficiency

Suzi Ramos shared this info.  We need to pay close attention to this while also remembering the Stephen Krashen research on how all is not lost if a child isn't on level by 3rd grade:  http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/articles/late_intervention.pdf


States Insist on Third Grade Reading Proficiency

 

By Adrienne Lu, Staff Writer

Students say goodbye to the monsters after a recent reading of "Where the Wild Things Are" at Amidon-Bowen Elementary School in Washington, D.C. A number of states have adopted policies to try to ensure students are reading proficiently by the third grade, which researchers say is a critical milestone for learning. (AP)

Educators have known for decades that learning how to read by the third grade is a critical milestone for children. Students who fall too far behind by the third grade rarely catch up.
One recent study found that students who don’t read well by the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
Despite progress in some states, only 35 percent of fourth graders across the country are proficient in reading, according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), released earlier this month.
“I think it’s an outrage,” said Carol Rasco, chief executive officer of Reading is Fundamental, a children’s literacy nonprofit organization that distributes millions of books to needy children every year. “To me, that’s an emergency. It’s a crisis.”
States across the country appear to agree. About 30 states have adopted measures to try to meet the reading milestone, according to Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a collaboration of nonprofits, foundations and communities. Last month, the National Governors Association released a report urging governors to take five policy actions to improve reading by the third grade.

Approaches To Reading Proficiency

The strategies vary widely, including working with parents of young children and improving access to pre-kindergarten.
Retention policies, which typically require third graders to pass reading benchmarks before being promoted to fourth grade, are among the most controversial approaches.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have strict retention policies on third grade reading, which often call for schools to help students who are struggling before they reach third grade, according to Emily Workman, a policy analyst for the Education Commission of the States.
Many of the states followed the path of Florida, where reading scores jumped after 2003, when the state started requiring third graders who did not meet reading benchmarks to be held back.
This year, Mississippi adopted a law requiring third graders who can’t read proficiently to be retained, and third graders in Ohio and Arizona are facing similar reading mandates for the first time. In Arizona, officials estimate 1,500 third graders could be held back if they do not pass the new reading requirement, the Arizona Republic reported.
Michigan and Nebraska lawmakers are also considering similar laws.
A handful of states this year have adopted other kinds of laws aimed at improving early reading, Workman said, including:

• Connecticut expanded its statewide reading plan to include oral language and pre-literacy proficiency for children moving from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten. Lawmakers also approved legislation requiring elementary school teachers to take surveys on reading instruction to help improve their teaching of reading.
• Virginia approved legislation requiring school districts to provide early intervention services to students from preschool to third grade who are behind in reading.
• Ohio will require school districts to submit reading achievement improvement plans every year beginning in 2016 if too many students fail to meet certain reading benchmarks. Beginning in 2017, most new teacher licenses will require teachers to pass tests on reading instruction.
• Utah will require schools to improve the percentage of third graders reading on grade level or risk losing state funds.

‘Reading to Learn’

Experts call third grade a critical turning point for learning.
“It is the transition point between learning to read and reading to learn,” said Susan Neuman, an expert on early literacy at the University of Michigan. “If these children don’t have the (reading) skills, they are really going to fall behind not only in reading but in all the other subject areas.”
But reading scores are notoriously difficult to improve. While math scores on tests such as NAEP have improved substantially since testing began in the early 1990s, reading scores have  increased only by slim margins. Experts believe that’s because children learn math mostly at school, while they learn most of their language skills at home, much of it before they even enter school.
Neuman said that means states wanting to make significant improvements in early reading need to target parents before their children reach school, or even preschool.
“Universal pre-k is terrific, but it starts at age four,” Neuman said. “We know these disparities begin as early as 12 months. What we need are parent engagement policies that work with parents very early on to promote what we know are really good language strategies.”
Despite Florida’s apparent success, the research on retention policies is mixed. Smith, of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, said the intermediate steps before either promotion or retention, including intervention for struggling readers and providing incentives and instruction to teachers, may prove most useful.
Neuman said the research shows parents can also be taught simple interventions that can help the youngest children develop early language skills.
“We’ll start very early with a hug and a smile and a focus on getting that parent to do eye-to-eye contact with the child, to talk to them, to sing to them,” Neuman said. “There are things we can do very early on that can promote and really change the trajectory of learning.”

A Hammer and a Chisel

I listened this morning to the BYU Devotional given by Ulisses Soares in November 2013.  His comments about Michelangelo made me ponder on how to make Esperanza a work of art. 




Ulisses Soares said, "Michelangelo used basically two main tools to accomplish his works of art: a hammer and a chisel. It is truly incredible to imagine how someone could create such an enormous and beautiful work of art [such as "The Pieta"]from a piece of raw marble using these two tools. ... When I think about the work he produced and the result he achieved,,,"



Hammer and chisel like those used by Michelangelo





La Pieta

Fatigue

More wisdom from Kevin Eikenberry:

 

Seldom does a day pass without someone telling me they are tired, exhausted, or feel like they need a vacation.  Fatigue seems pervasive, a malady that is faced by some at least occasionally, and by many people as a nearly constant state of being.  One solution might be to get more sleep, but today, I present another idea, one that might work better and last longer. . .

Questions to Ponder

- How fatigued am I?
- What do I worry about?
- What are the sources of my frustration and resentment?
- How could I lessen the hold these emotions have on me?

Action Steps

1.  Really ask yourself the questions posed above – spend time thinking about them.
2.  Take action on your answer to the last question – invest the time to take those actions.

My Thoughts

There is a lot that could be said about this short quotation. Carnegie hit the nail on the head – our head, which is where these sources of fatigue come from. Physiologically, our brain uses a large percentage of the oxygen our body takes in. In other words, our brain is a big user of the energy available to us. If we are using that energy on worry, frustration, and resentment, not only doesn’t the brain have time to work on productive things and solutions, but that energy is being sapped for non-productive purposes.
If you are feeling fatigued, consider this quotation and whether or not any of these sources are a cause of that fatigue. If so, take steps to reduce that impact. Not only will you feel better, but you will have more capacity in that amazing brain to accomplish, create, and produce.

Oh, English!

Do You Say Them Correctly?

The Last Full Measure of Devotion

In the long and honored history of America
There are names that shine like beacons in the night
The Patriots whose vision gave us meaning
Who kept the lamp of freedom burning bright

In the long and honored history of America
There are those that paid the last and final price
Who were called upon by chance, or desperate circumstance
To make the ultimate sacrifice

A grateful nation bows its head in sorrow
And in thanks for guaranteeing our tomorrow
The last full measure of devotion
That's what they gave to the cause

The last full measure of devotion
And though they cannot hear our applause
We honor them forever and keep alive their story
Pay tribute to their lives and give them all the glory

The last full measure of devotion
Beyond the call of duty were their deeds
The last full measure of devotion
They gave themselves to serve the greater need

And for those who did survive
And came back home alive
They join in praise of comrades who were slain
And highly resolved, most highly resolved
That these dead shall not have died in vain